“Do homestays provide food for solo travelers in Himachal” will be a sure shot question you’ll have if you are opting for a local homestay in Himachal for the first time.
I personally exclusively stay in Homestays when traveling solo in Himachal. Therefore I’ll try my level best to put all your queries to rest about the availability of food in homestays in Himachal.
Do Homestays Provide Food For Solo Travelers In Himachal ?
A simple answer to this question is a BIG Yes !. Food is one of the main reasons why I almost exclusively stay at homestays. I don’t prefer eating out at cafes or Dhabas. That’s when homestays come to my rescue.
Feasting on simple yet lip-smacking homely local delicacies is one of the reasons why travelers prefer to stay in homestays over hostels, hotels or guesthouses.
Every homestay that I have stayed at, I have had the fortune to satiate my taste buds with simple yet awesome local home-cooked food. On that note, lets get started.
By the way, here is a detailed blog on how safe homestays of Himachal are for travelers.
Me having super delicious dinner with other guests of Yuthok Homestays.
What Kind Of Cuisine Do Local Homestays Provide to Solo travelers In Himachal ?
The idea of staying in homestay is basically living and eating like a local. Indian cuisine items like Dal-Rice, Sabzi-Roti are prevalent in Himachali households these days. And you’ll be served the same along with the local food of the region.
Although simple you’ll just fell in love with the homely taste. A lot of homestays that I have been to usually grow a lot of organic vegetables in their own backyard. So the food is of top-notch quality.
Traditional food of that particular region is also served quite often in local homestays of Himachal. For instance, At Yuthok Homestay (The hosts are originally from Lahaul), local Lahauli delicacies like Laar, Tsati, Shunali are served regularly along with Indian and Kullavi cuisine.
While staying in the remote homestays of Kullu, I tasted some awesome Kulluvi delicacies like Siddu, Bhaturu (Flat-bread), Chhali Roti (Flatbread made out of corn dough).
Getting piping hot homely food, being able to try out local delicacies and fruits are the perks of staying in the local homestays.
And just so you know, you can eat as much as you want at these homestays (Spoiler alert : You won’t be able to compete with the Pahadi’s). Unlike at cafes or restaurants.
Here is a detailed blog on how you can explore Himachal on a budget using public transport.
Cost Of Food In Homestays Of Himachal
What about the cost of food at the homestays ? You would ask me. Well it really differs from homestays to homestays.
Maximum homestays in Himachal will usually quote a combined price of all the 3 meals along with the stay. For instance, lets say a homestay quotes you a price of Rs 800 per day. Now this will include the price of stay as well all the meals in this scenario.
Some homestays will charge you separately for meals and stay. For instance, they will quote lets say around Rs 600 for the stay and around Rs 100 for each meal.
I personally prefer to pay combined price of food and stay per day instead of getting charged separately for meals and stay. It really saves the hassle of keeping count of the number of meals you had. And is cheaper in most of the cases.
Except for my stay in Barot where I had been charged separately for meals and stay. I have usually payed out a combined price of stay and all the meals which is decided beforehand with the homestay hosts.
So whether you pay combined cost of stay and food or pay for meals separately, the food costs averages out to around INR 350-500 for all the meals. Now this is far cheaper than eating out at cafes and at par with eating out at the Dhabas.
I personally feel that combined price of stay and all the meals generally is cheaper than getting charged separately for the meals.
Here is a detailed blog on how to find a place of stay in villages of Himachal.
My Personal Favourite Homestays in Himachal Which Serve Amazing home-cooked food
Yuthok homestay in raison is my personal favourite. They serve simple yet amazing India, Lahauli and Kullavi delicacies. I have stayed here multiple times and the food hits home every time.
In Sainj valley of Kullu district, Rabbit house homestay does an amazing job of serving incredible delicacies.
Homestays in Lahaul like Snowflake homestay in Gondhla, Tenzin Homestay in Kardang, Zostel Homes Rashil had all one thing in common super scrumptious Lahauli and Indian food.
Even In Spiti, I had no problems whatsoever with the food. I was served simple yet tasty food in one of the homestays in Lhalung. Ratuaa Homestay in Kinnaur provides amazing home-cooked as well to the travelers.
Where North Meets South. Super Tasty Idlis prepared by one of the guests at Yuthok Homestay with Shunali a Lahauli delicacy.
To conclude I hope that you now have a satisfactory answer to the question “ls food available in homestays of Himachal”.
Most of the homestays will serve you amazing home-cooked food. And it is far better than eating out cafes. In case of any queries please let me know in the comments. I’ll be glad to help you out.